A so-called “keyboard warrior” has been jailed in Britain for three years over posts he made on the social media platform X.
Wayne O’Rourke, 35, has been sentenced to three years in prison for “stirring up racial hatred” during the recent anti-migration protests and riots.
According to the local Lincolnshire Free Press, O’Rourke had shared false information about the Southport mass stabbing attack that left three young girls dead, suggesting that the killer had been a Muslim or an illegal migrant, neither of which were true.
O’Rourke gave his 90,000 followers advice on how to remain anonymous during protests, something left-wing activist groups often tell their followers ahead of contentious protests.
Passing sentence Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight accused O’Rourke of “instigating” the riots through his social media posts, saying: “The flames fanned by keyboard warriors like you.”
One of O’Rourke’s offending posts read: “People of Southport where the f**k are you, get out on the street.”
Another, accompanying a picture of a burning car in Sunderland, said: “Sunderland, go on lads ”
“Starmer has basically said it us against them. Hold the line,” he wrote in a separate X post.
Other posts included saying that “numbers are important” and “give them hell lads.”
Defending O’Rourke, Lucia Harrington told the court that her client had been “caught up in the media frenzy” in the wake of the Southport mass stabbing and that he did not set up his account with the intention of encouraging riots.
Harrington added that O’Rourke wants to “re-educate” himself on the things he got wrong.
Commenting on the case, Lincolnshire Chief Superintendent Kate Anderson said: “This charge demonstrates that we will take fast and decisive action against anyone suspected of sharing harmful content online.
“We retain a commitment to proactively police and keep people safe across the county.
“This action shows that everyone is responsible for their actions – whether they be in public, or online.”